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| Vitara’s new engine means less compromise | |||||||||||||||||
| Excitement
reached fever pitch among Suzuki devotees when word first
leaked out that the Vitara 4WD was going to jump in
engine capacity from 1.6 to 2.0 litres. They are an excitable lot anyway, and thoughts of the Vitara Estate Wagon’s 2.0 litre V6 transforming the popular SWB Vitara were enough to really get the adrenalin stirred. The adrenal glands were really stirred into action by first sight of the new model’s V6 Wagon-style bonnet, grille and bumpers - but the excitement abated somewhat when the shapely bonnet was lifted to reveal a seemingly stodgy 2.0 litre inline four. A new engine, derived from the 1.8 litre unit used in the sporty Baleno GTX but with longer piston stroke for more power and torque, it still promised a big improvement in performance. The new model’s WA launch, driving excuses for tracks in the hills near Perth, confirmed that it could now play among the big kids without shame, so it was interesting later to find how it coped where most will spend more time anyway - on the bitumen. Buyers see Vitara more as a `lifestyle’ vehicle than serious offroader, so the new model has power windows/mirrors and a good stereo as standard, plus twin moulded cup-holders that not only accommodate the larger flavoured milk bottles but can also double as a very effective mobile phone holder ! |
 All is not as it seems - it looks like a V6, but only has four cylinders
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| And the new engine
complements Vitara’s lifestyle vehicle role by
making it more enjoyable to drive in a wide variety of
conditions. Gearshifting is a less frequent exercise, the abundant torque doing just as good a job of hauling around corners or through traffic as it does in the dirt, and the performance at times is quite sporty for a previously modest 4WD. Clean and smooth acceleration was evident in heavy traffic, where the Suzuki can hold its own without struggling to keep up, and that was apparent at the fuel bowser - consumption peaked at 10.1 L/100km (28mpg) and returned a best figure of 7.2 (39) on the open road. The final drive gearing could be a little taller so the engine would rev a bit lower at cruising speeds, yet it feels quite relaxed at 110kmh and has ample reserves of power for overtaking, usually without the need to downshift. Some things do not change of course - the convertible’s roof is still one of the most fiddly in the business to raise or lower (all manual labour, no power thingies here), and its single layer of vinyl does little to reduce noise, but for many such contrariness is actually a large part of the vehicle’s appeal. And `appeal’ it certainly has - the new engine just makes Vitara more enjoyable, with less compromise.
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Nuts-N-Bolts
